A new halo-vest: rationale, design and biomechanical comparison to standard halo-vest designs.

The traditional halo-vest rigidly grips the cranium, but not the torso. Unexpectedly large motion and forces in the cervical spine have been shown by others to be present during halo-vest wear. In an effort to reduce these motions and forces, an experimental vest has been designed. Motion of the vest on the thorax has been measured on four normal volunteers, for each of nine load types, for each of seven commercially available vests as well as the experimental vest. Despite its lighter weight and less cumbersome structure, the experimental vest has the lowest mobility score of all the vests tested.